Vegetables and seafood are good options for dinners with less than 500 calories.
Eating fewer calories doesn't mean you have to enjoy them less. A meal can consist of 500 calories and still be nutritious and healthy. Change your diet by eating more fish, brightly colored vegetables, and fruit for dessert. With careful portion control and creativity, you'll find that quality is much better than quality -- and better for you, too.
Chicken and Garbanzo Bean Soup
Enjoy this soup year-round. This combination of a winter soup meal and summer chicken meal also includes carrots, fennel, onions and fresh spinach. Make it with a slow cooker, so you can throw the ingredients together in the morning and eat healthy -- about 215 calories for slightly less than two cups -- in the evening.
Catfish with a Crunch
Make this meal in less than 30 minutes, using coarsely ground pretzels to coat the catfish filets and a small amount of oil to fry them. Season with lemon, garnish with red onions, and enjoy a riff on a classic Southern meal with fewer than 400 calories.
Black Bean and Zucchini Quesadilla
Take half a cup of rinsed black beans, a cup of chopped zucchini, a tiny bit of cumin and some olive oil, and sautee briefly. Toss the ingredients into a whole wheat tortilla, sprinkle a bit of grated cheddar and salsa on top, and you're still looking at a meal that has less than 500 calories.
Fruit Cup
Leave room for dessert. A 6.5 oz serving of strawberries, grapes, pineapple, cantaloupe and honeydew will set you back about 100 calories. If you've used one of the above recipes, you should still be able to stay under 500 calories.
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